In total, seven Cornish beaches will be flying blue flags this summer, including Widemouth, Summerleaze and Crooklets in Bude, with Cornwall receiving one of the largest number of Blue Flag and seaside awards in the country.
Prestigious Blue Flags, the international standard for the best beaches in the world, will be flying this season at seven beaches in Cornwall.
This year, Widemouth will be proudly flying this flag, amongst Gyllyngvase in Falmouth, Porthminster and Porthmeor in St Ives, Polzeath, Porthtowan and Trevone. All seven have also been successful in their bid for a seaside award.
Porth near Newquay, Crooklets and Summerleaze in Bude have been successful in once again winning Keep Britain Tidy’s own seaside award for the beaches that meet the very highest standards for cleanliness and facilities.
Winning seaside awards for the very first time are Perranporth beach, Great Western, Newquay and Sennen Cove.
Cllr Moores said: “I’m delighted to hear the recent news regarding the Blue Flag status and the Seaside Awards for Bude.
“Any such accolade of this nature can only be regarded in a positive way to boost Bude’s status as a desirable place to visit.”
The awards have been sponsored by Sharp’s Brewery Limited with Cornwall Council co-ordinating the applications, and the work required to make sure that the beaches reach the exacting standards required to win made possible through the efforts of community groups, beach champions and local businesses.
Sharp’s Brewery, based in Rock, has played a key role in sponsoring the Blue Flag initiative and seaside awards. This year, 5p from every pint of Sharp’s limited edition beers will be contributed to the prestigious Blue Flag initiative.
James Nicholls, senior brand manager at Sharp’s Brewery, said: “With Sharp’s Brewery being based in Rock, the coastline and our beaches are deeply important to us. We are delighted to have supported the Blue Flag initiative over the last two years and raising over £28,000 through sales of our exceptional, limited release beers.
“We are extremely proud to be supporting the coastal community again, helping these beautiful beaches obtain and retain the prestigious Blue Flag status and seaside awards that they so highly deserve. The Blue Flag initiative does a fantastic job of supporting beaches and communities in coastal areas, and we are pleased to be supporting the charity again within our heartland of Cornwall.”
Cornwall Council strategic director for neighbourhoods, Paul Masters, said: “It is fantastic to see what can be achieved when sponsors, local beach champions and the council work together to achieve these really excellent results for Cornwall.
“It’s great to see how everyone has stepped up to support their beaches. It is not just the cost of the application itself, which needs to be factored in, but all the work that needs to be carried out for a beach to be worthy of a Blue Flag or seaside award.”
Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: “This is great news for local residents and our visitors — it shows the quality of these beaches and gives people the reassurance of the excellence of the beaches and bathing waters.”
Staying safe and top tips on enjoying the beautiful award-winning beaches are available from BeachWise. Launched last summer, BeachWise inclues beach safety advice and useful information from a range of partners including Cornwall Council, Environment Agency, Keep Britain Tidy, Marine Conservation Society, RNLI, South West Coast Path Association, South West Water, Surf Life Saving Great Britain, and Visit Cornwall.